The purpose of this core is to accelerate ongoing research at BTNRH by providing development, maintenance, troubleshooting, and consulting services related to laboratory hardware and software. Most of the research projects that constitute the research base for this core require the presentation and/or acquisition of digitized waveforms. Some of these research projects elicit behavioral, acoustical, and electrophysiological responses for the same auditory stimuli. In many instances, similar hypotheses are being evaluated using different approaches. The parallel nature of these research efforts produces considerable overlap in hardware and software needs. Another overlapping group of research projects requires support for specialpurpose database software. Our Laboratory Computing Facility, staffed by full-time technicians shared with individual R01s, serves many of the hardware and software needs of the research base, thereby enhancing productivity in these research projects. By maintaining familiarity with ongoing data acquisition efforts of the research base, Core technicians will identify common needs and promote a cooperative interaction among investigators. The Laboratory Computing Core allows BTNRH to maintain a higher level of laboratory hardware and software expertise than would otherwise be possible through the independent efforts of individual laboratories. The immediate availability of this expertise allows our investigators to have greater focus on scientific issues and pursue their research projects more efficiently. Software developed by Core technicians is made available to researchers at other institutions at no cost.